When you compare the Z06 to the ZR1, performance-wise ('Ring time is only 3 seconds difference), a strong case can be made for a lower-contented, lower-priced, near-equal-performing, driver-rewarded Camaro...worthy of a certain i-car-nic badge...

Besides, the price spread between a 2SS (mid-$30s) and the ZL1 (mid-$50s) needs to be bridged...

LOWDOWN you've got it about right, but GM won't create a Z28 with all those deletes. It will be a retail street car, not a bare knuckle track racer. That said, you have to add back in quite a few bells & whistles for a price approaching $48,325.

Recaros, along with the trans/diff. coolers, would make a great Track Prep option, perhaps along with Rear Seat Delete (the "problem" with RSD is you now move into Corvette territory, you increase Insurance Rating...and you'll save less than 30 lb...more likely to be a DIY).

Pete said Pedder's could probably tinker with the MRC, offer a bit stouter and shorter spring. Looks like MRC is gonna be standard moving forward, but a FE4 with Pedder's enhancements will be the way to go IMHO. LSA VS LS7 is a relatively small < a couple K if I remember correctly> difference in price. LS7 is a high rev engine, look at the HP and torque charts and see where the LS7 is still there at 7 grand, and probably pulls beyond that. Given that it is a blueprinted motor with near bullet proof hardened bottom end and reciprocals, <there was a post where upper end wall thickness was an internal problem I think?>, however, 7 grand is not the top end of the RPM envelope IMHO, and that platform has the goods to hit production lines as is. The cuiser weight Champion.!!

Whoa there ... the LSA does not weigh 200 lbs more than the LS7. More like 100 lbs.

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Note, if I've gotten any facts wrong in the above, just ignore any points I made with them
__________________don't believe a thing you read about the next gen Camaro -- as history has proven time and time again:

WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT FUTURE PRODUCT PLANS PERIOD FbodFather __________________

I don't see where you are getting the $8k out of the base price. The MRC being an option is a good chunk but most of the other items listed do not really add up. The LS7 has to be more expensive than the LSA, plus I'd bet is on the chopping block.

Amen bro.....sigh...and on the ZL1 side there are those who actually argue the point that it's ok to the contrary. LOL, library catalogue's, hand searching through books for info, actually finding the information, reading it, and assimilating it...on one's own????....a dead art, sorry I digress<again>...., ok now back to the Z-28 channel....

If there will be a Z/28, it is probably not going to get an LS7 hate to break it to you. If anything I would guess an LS3 with a more aggressive cam, upgraded exhaust and a beefed up suspension, better designed CAI and some weight reductions.

Actually, Clyde, we're simply 'splainin' the rationale, compiled over many-many months here. No need to flee, and your contributions and opinions are sought. It's just that, for some here, we've been 'round 'n 'round a time or twelve. We DON'T want a ZL1 (and we're very happy it was named as such!); we DO want something more than a 1SS/1LE; we recognize the elephant(s) in the room (BOSS and BOSS LS) and we expect/anticipate GM to come up with valid responses at BOSS-correct price points (low-$40s and upper-$40s) before the Gen-5's sunset.

Low-$40s = 1SS/1LE, pretty much as shown @ SEMA, only minus the "showcar" trimmings (leather 'n such). Offer it Base as a 1SS, and offer a 2SS-style upgrade to satify "those" folks...

Upper-$40s DOES afford (no pun) a legitimate opportunity for an LS7'd badge-worthy Gen-5 Camaro, to ably compete against ANY Dearborn-borne BOSS, as outlined above...

I do NOT expect a 1LE to be priced below a BOSS. GM simply doesn't NEED to. Same with the BOSS LS competitor. What's THE most outstanding track-able Camaro POSSIBLE for something between $45 and $50? And, if it fits the budget, WHY would we "settle" for less than the LS7?! If GM massages a 6.2L, it will still only be a 6.2. The LS7 will still equal/exceed the 6.2's "warrantiable" power and, left unmodified/unboosted, the LS7 will live a very l-o-n-g and charming life. And willingly tame the bucking broncos...

The problem with a "massaged" LS3? It doesn't exist in 60/100 (OE warranty), emissions-compliant, certified-'n-validated form...and that takes time and money that, apparently to this point, ain't happenin'... Every dollar $pent on an LS3 makes a buck closer to an LS7...

WIXOM: According to "sources", there is a bright-shiny future till summer-'13, at least. Plans beyond then are "incomplete"... If an LS7'd ZEE was intro'd, and demand for the car was "as anticipated", Wixom would be assured an even brighter-shinier future!

Gen-5 "LT1": NO ONE is telling anything about this engine's n/a abilities. Unless there's 470+ hp AND torque, it will deliver LESS than an LS7, which is required to move a 300+ lb. heavier Camaro vs. the power-to-weight of the BOSS. You need more than trick suspension and grippy rubber to track-match the BOSS... You need to ably move 3850-3920 pounds of Oshawa-oozing muscle, or at least make it THINK its muscle...and NOT Darlington Beach moss...

The other unanswered questions about this engine are, when will it be fully available, and will that leave enough time to implement a badge-worthy Gen-5 Camaro as it nears its sunset? Again...NO concrete answers available...yet...